Barcelona defender Thomas Vermaelen will miss only two weeks of action after injuring his hamstring against Real Betis on Sunday.
The Catalan giants released a statement on Monday to confirm the Belgian would be unavailable for selection for the next fortnight but should return after that period.
The 32-year-old had been enjoying the best run of his Blaugrana career as he was starting his 13th straight game, capitalising on injuries to Javier Mascherano and Samuel Umtiti.
Barca remain unbeaten in the 19 Liga games that they have played with Vermaelen in defence.
The former Arsenal defender is set to miss the league clashes with Alaves and Espanyol, alongside the second leg of the Copa del Rey tie against their Catalan rivals.
